Top NHL insider confirms Mark Giordano is in talks with Toronto Maple Leafs divisional rival
Mark Giordano wants to play on into his age-41 season, and now, it appears the veteran defenseman is drawing significant interest.
After a stellar career that's taken him through Calgary, Seattle and Toronto, many believed that after 1,148 games in the NHL, Mark Giordano would take this summer to hang up his skates. That appears not to be the case anymore, with his agent confirmed that Gio will look to play on in 2024/25, and shortly after, he revealed that there were several teams interested.
Giordano was quickly linked to his two former Canadian teams, along with the Edmonton Oilers, but now a surprise squad has joined the race, with the Buffalo Sabres expressing interest in the 41-year old.
Given that their blue line is currently led by Rasmus Dahlin (24), Bowen Byram (22), Owen Power (21) and Henri Jokiharju (24), it makes sense that they would look to bring in a player with this much experience to give them much needed depth and leadership moving forward. On the flip-side however, the Sabres likely aren't competing for a Stanley Cup in 2024/25, and given that Giordano is yet to taste the Stanley Cup Finals, he may be looking elsewhere instead.
Whether or not a team like the Panthers, Oilers, Rangers or Maple Leafs among others would look at Giordano seriously is up in the air at this point, but if he's intent on playing on, expect him to find a role in the NHL somewhere in 2024/25.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 7 | 329 ANSWERS Top NHL insider confirms Mark Giordano is in talks with Toronto Maple Leafs divisional rival Will Mark Giordano play in 50 or more games in 2024/25? | ||
| Yes | 108 | 32.8 % |
| No | 221 | 67.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jason Robertson | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Chandler Stephenson | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Sebastian Aho | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jalen Chatfield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Roope Hintz | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Wyatt Johnston | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Montour | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Nylander | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jaden Schwartz | - | 2 | 2 | |
| John Tavares | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jamie Benn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Evgeny Dadonov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Yanni Gourde | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pontus Holmberg | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Fraser Minten | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Ryan Poehling | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Roslovic | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Daniel Sprong | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Hurricanes | 18 | 14 | 4 | - | 28 | |
Capitals | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | |
Wild | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 27 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Devils | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 25 | |
Stars | 18 | 12 | 6 | - | 24 | |
Golden Knights | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||